Environment

Issue: State Proposes To Shut Down Six Pipes That Pump Treated Sewage Into The Ocean.

September 11, 2007

Pumping treated sewage into the ocean never smelled right for a region that banks its cachet on its destination beaches and dive-worthy coral reefs.

So South Floridians who value a clean environment should stand up and applaud the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's proposal to shut down six outfall pipes that discharge treated waste into the waters off Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

Chances are, though, that many area residents will find the plan hard to swallow, because it will hit them where it hurts - in the wallet. Because utilities would have to buy comprehensive equipment to treat the waste and distribute it elsewhere, sewer rates in all three counties are expected to spike, less so in Palm Beach County, which is already a leader in the water recycling business in South Florida.

Still, one early estimate suggests the average resident may pay nearly $20 more a month, though some anticipate it will be more.

That's painful, and water officials must take care to make it affordable. But South Florida must understand it is the cost of environmental responsibility. For too long, we've gotten away with abusing our natural resources, and it's payback time. Reefs, particularly the Gulf Stream Reef near the Delray Beach/Boynton Beach outfall pipe, are suffocating from exposure to the nutrient-rich discharge.

We can't market the majesty of our ocean and, at the same time, treat it as a dumping ground - not with any credibility or longevity, anyway.

Yes, alternative wastewater systems are expensive - $2.7 billion by one estimate to kill the six pipes and create a water recycling system. But they will serve a dual service. Recycling the water also makes it available for irrigation needs for lawns and golf courses, saving another vital resource: the region's dwindling water supply.

The timing isn't great, with the economy hurting, taxpayers screaming about insurance and tax bills and local governments struggling to deliver tax cuts. But this is a time when priorities make their way to the top, and this is one of them.